It is known to cast the housing of a hand-held appliance of the type listed above from metal to make a very solid and strong housing, or to deep draw or stamp sheet metal to make a rigid metal housing. In order to dress up the appearance of such a housing, which frequently tends to scratch readily, it is known to laminate attractive and normally textured synthetic-resin sheets over the metal structure.
Such housings are frequently found objectionable because they do not allow sweat or, in the case of an electric toothbrush or the like, other liquids to dissipate. Such liquids also often lead to corrosion and an unattractive appearance.
Another difficulty is that it is almost invariably necessary to provide at least one externally operable switch in such a housing. In a hand-held calculator in particular it is necessary to provide an entire keyboard. Forming a tight seal around the operating button of such a switch or of such switches is an onerous task that normally increases production costs considerably while still yielding unsatisfactory results. Any moisture entering around the switch-actuating member can lead quickly to component failure, and can even in some instances present a real danger of a serious electrical shock to the user.